Culinary Wizards Compete in the Spuds and Dairy Culinary Cup 2019

The best professional chefs and the brightest culinary students teamed up to create the best potato and dairy dishes in the Spuds and Dairy Culinary Cup 2019. A joint presentation of Potatoes USA and the California Milk Advisory Board, this event happened last September 6 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

Ten teams, composed of a chef and a student, were put to the test to make amazing dishes that use U.S. Potatoes and Real California Milk products as part of their ingredients. Each team drew the category they need to prepare—Appetizer, Brunch, Main, Dessert, and Bar Food—and must come up with a potato and dairy dish. They were given 30 minutes to shop for their ingredients, given the budget of Php5,000, and another hour and a half to prep, cook, and plate their dishes.

Besides the shopping task, the big challenge for each team was that it’s the student who has to prep, mix, cook, and plate. His or her partner chef cannot help prep or even touch the ingredients; they were only there to guide, give tips, and taste the food.

Each dish was assessed by the judging panel composed of Mr. Ryan Bedford, Agricultural Attache of USDA; Mr. Rey Co, President of High Tower Inc.; Chef Sau del Rosario, President of Culinarya Pampanga; Ms. Nina Daza-Puyat, Lifestyle Columnist of the Manila Bulletin, Editor of Appetite Magazine, and cookbook author; and Chef Myrna Segismundo, Chairperson of the National Food Showdown.

Emerging as the winners for the Best U.S. Potato Dish is the team of Chef Victor Barangan and Enderun Colleges student Ria Garcia. They received Php100,000 each for their Breakfast/Brunch creation: Potato Royale with Potato Foam, Potato Tuile, and Scotch Egg.

Meanwhile, the team of Chef James Antolin and Erik Roy San Luis of Center for Culinary Arts Manila won the Best California Dairy Dish for their Bar Food creation: Mozzarella Wrapped Salmon with Smoked Cheese Infused Citrus Sauce, Grilled Vegetable Salad, Ricotta-Almond Crumbs, and Potato Tuile. As their prize, they will go to an all-expense paid trip to the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California for an immersion program!

This competition showed the versatility of U.S. Potatoes and Real California Milk products and also featured our amazing local talents!

That’s why I got a bit inspired, so to speak, to make my own spuds and dairy dish. 🙂 Check out my next post to see what I made using U.S. Dehy Potatoes and Real California Milk Cheddar Cheese!